Most of us know the basic features of Windows XP. Having one of the most stable operating systems we never mind having a look at what is in stock for us and what we can get out of it. The feature is also present in XP Optimizer Pro. But because of the enormous number of tweaks people hardly have a look at the section which deals with folder protection. The Windows Registry is huge and most of us think that it is an abomination. Wring! I say that registry is the best thing that ever happened to windows.

Amazingly folder protection in XP is possible withou the help of any software! Most of you must be wondering how?Without telling any more riddles I will proceed. Most of the objects we see in Windows such as the Recycle Bin, Control Panel, The start menu and the Taskbar Properties etc are all represented by a CLSID (Class Identity) in the Windows Registry.

To illustrate this one must follow the following steps. For demonstartation purposes I take the desktop.

1- Download and Install Unlocker from here http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
2- Create a New Folder anywhere. In the illustration Ill use the desktop.
3- Create some shortcuts inside the folder for testing purposes.
4- Now rename the folder to New Folder.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}.Now this folder shall be disguised as a recycle bin. All items inside the folder shall be hidden and invisible. In short the folder renamed will act as a Second Recycle Bin
5- When you double click and open the folder the recycle bin will open with all your data protected and invisible.
6- Now to get your data back. Right click the transformed folder and select the Unlocker option from the context menu. Amongst the actions given in the drop down box select rename.
7 You will see the name as New Folder.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}. Simply remove .{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} from the name leaving New Folder behind and you will see that all your data will be back and the Recycle Bin will be transformed into a normal folder.
8- You dont need to even hide this folder because whenever anyone wants to see whats inside the folder Recycle Bin will open. While your personal data will remain protected.
9-The best part is that this not only works on the desktop but any where on your computer and everywhere. Plus if your bored of disguising the folder as a recycle bin you can choose from the many to transform it into anything you like.

Most of us know the basic features of Windows XP. Having one of the most stable operating systems we never mind having a look at what is in stock for us and what we can get out of it. The feature is also present in XP Optimizer Pro. But because of the enormous number of tweaks people hardly have a look at the section which deals with folder protection. The Windows Registry is huge and most of us think that it is an abomination. Wring! I say that registry is the best thing that ever happened to windows.

Amazingly folder protection in XP is possible withou the help of any software! Most of you must be wondering how?Without telling any more riddles I will proceed. Most of the objects we see in Windows such as the Recycle Bin, Control Panel, The start menu and the Taskbar Properties etc are all represented by a CLSID (Class Identity) in the Windows Registry.

To illustrate this one must follow the following steps. For demonstartation purposes I take the desktop.

1- Download and Install Unlocker from here http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
2- Create a New Folder anywhere. In the illustration Ill use the desktop.
3- Create some shortcuts inside the folder for testing purposes.
4- Now rename the folder to New Folder.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}.Now this folder shall be disguised as a recycle bin. All items inside the folder shall be hidden and invisible. In short the folder renamed will act as a Second Recycle Bin
5- When you double click and open the folder the recycle bin will open with all your data protected and invisible.
6- Now to get your data back. Right click the transformed folder and select the Unlocker option from the context menu. Amongst the actions given in the drop down box select rename.
7 You will see the name as New Folder.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}. Simply remove .{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} from the name leaving New Folder behind and you will see that all your data will be back and the Recycle Bin will be transformed into a normal folder.
8- You dont need to even hide this folder because whenever anyone wants to see whats inside the folder Recycle Bin will open. While your personal data will remain protected.
9-The best part is that this not only works on the desktop but any where on your computer and everywhere. Plus if your bored of disguising the folder as a recycle bin you can choose from the many to transform it into anything you like.